The Great Wall Motors Ute has been given a big boost in towing capacity – but it still falls slightly short of the all-conquering Toyota HiLux
The new pickup has been re-homologated and certified and boasts a braked towing capacity of 3000kg.
With its higher braked towing capacity, the GWM Ute is now just 100kg off the Mitsubishi Triton’s figure.
It’s still 500kg shy of four-wheel drive, diesel-powered models in the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux line-ups, as well as fellow budget ute, the SsangYong Musso.
Its 3000kg figure is identical, however, to the LDV T60.
Initially, documents filed with the Federal Government listed its maximum braked towing capacity at just 2250kg, well off rivals’ figures. Maximum downball weight has also been increased to 300kg.
No changes were made to the Ute to secure the higher tow rating.
“It was always engineered to be a three-tonne ute,” said a spokesperson from GWM, who explained the Ute was initially homologated for Europe where there are different standards in place.
As GWM wanted to get vehicles on the ground in Australia as quickly as possible, it meant the company accepted this lesser figure initially and then had it re-homologated later.
The new Ute is larger, more powerful and better equipped than the outgoing Great Wall Steed, though it’s commensurately more expensive.
Available only as a dual-cab ute, pricing starts at $33,990 drive-away.
The outgoing Steed range, in contrast, started at under $20,000 drive-away though adding diesel power and four-wheel drive narrowed the price gap to a still significant $8000.
The dual-cab Steed has been discontinued though the single-cab model will continue to be offered in the coming months in the absence of a single-cab Ute.
Great Wall does, however, have a single-cab version of the new Ute available in China.
The new Ute isn’t being marketed as a Great Wall, with the Chinese company instead using the GWM name.
It’s powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine producing 120kW of power and 400Nm of torque, mated to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission.
It’s a significant technological upgrade over the Steed, with standard autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist and rear cross-traffic alert.
There are also more standard convenience features, including keyless entry and start, adaptive cruise control, automatic LED headlights and a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
